Free Response Questions – Info, Tips & Strategies 

Remember how the AP Psychology exam is set up…

Essay tips from a reader since 1992 (a person who grades the exams)….

1. Take a deep breath and believe in yourself. Free responses usually give you a "I don't know any of this!" reaction. Yes, you do. Plus, you don't need to know ALL of it, just some. You can do this.
   
2. Typically, there are about 6 to 12 items that you need to address. Look at the 2011 Free Response question below, it has 7 items and thus 7 possible points.
3. Your job is to get points, period. The readers are looking for something specific and, if you hit on it, you get a point. Essentially, they have a rubric that is a checklist. They look for the info addressing each part of the question in your essay, then check off the corresponding spot on their checklist earning you points.
4. You don’t get points off if you write something wrong, you simply don’t earn a point. So, write as much as you can because you just might stumble on the correct answer.
5. Use "official" psychology terms whenever you can. Often the reader awards points if you apply the correct term.
   
6. This is not an essay. Do not think of it as a five paragraph, English type essay, it’s not. It doesn’t even have an introduction or conclusion.
7. It’s okay to skip a line between each item. The reader I spoke with actually said he likes this because readers like clues (it says, “I’m done with this one, I’m starting the next one”). Some people number them, label them, or even put bullet points.
8. Don’t waste time…
1. Writing an introduction or conclusion.
2. Erasing stuff, just draw a line through it.
   
3. Rewriting the question. None of these things earn you points.
9. You only get 1 point for each item. So, don’t try to really do great on one you know thinking it’ll make up for one you don’t. You only get 1 point for each item.
10. Each part of the question is independent of the other. When moving to the next part, put on your blinders and focus solely on that one. Anything you’ve written up ‘til then has nothing to do with it.
1. Along these lines, watch your pronouns, like “it.” If you referred to “it” in the previous section, don’t start our referring to “it” in the next. The parts are independent.
2. Again, this is not an essay that’s read as a whole. Think of it as independent “point-units.”
11. When the 2 free responses are noticeably different in length/quantity, you might want to start with the shorter one. This is because they’re each of equal value, but each individual part of the question with fewer parts is weighed more heavily.
12. The reader I spoke with revealed his “magic formula” for earning points for each item. He said that for a question asking you to “identify” or “describe” something, he likes a definition and an application. Simply defining the term does not earn a point, but it does show you know it and sort of exercises your mind. Telling how the term is applied or used in psychology gets a checkmark on his rubric checklist and earns you a point.

2011 Free Response question #1…